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GO and NEST bus service (NJ transit)
GO bus and NEST bus are two BRT systems that served that area of Newark (Elizabeth and Staten Island by NEST) in central New Jersey. Neighborhood backgrounds Newark is the largest city in NJ and lies at the heart of the Gateway Region and the Liberty Corridor, the extensive network of road, rail, shipping, and air transportation infrastructure radiating from Newark Liberty International Airport and Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal. In terms of number of buses in use and passengers served, the Greater Newark bus network is the 20th largest in the United States. All GO routes and NEST routes 101 and 104 serve the city of Newark. GO also serves Newark Liberty Airport as well as Irvington Bus terminal and Bloomfield station Newark Penn Station, a major transit hub for NEST and GO, is served by multiple rail and other bus carriers, making it the fourth-busiest transportation hub in the New York metropolitan area. It is served by the Newark Light Rail, three NJ Transit commuter rail lines, the PATH rapid transit system, and all 11 of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor services (including the Acela Express). The station is also served by intercity bus carriers Greyhound, Peter Pan, and Trailways, as well as 33 local and regional bus lines operated by NJ Transit Bus Operations and ONE Bus (Orange-Newark-Elizabeth). Elizabeth is both the largest city and the county seat of Union County, in New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth most populous city, behind Paterson. The population increased by 4,401 (3.7%) from the 120,568 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 10,566 (+9.6%) from the 110,002 counted in the 1990 Census.For 2017, the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 130,215, an increase of 4.2% from the 2010 enumeration, ranking the city the 212th-most-populous in the nation. Elizabeth is home to The Mills at Jersey Gardens, originally and also still colloquially called Jersey Gardens and later The Outlet Collection | Jersey Gardens. This mall is a two-level indoor outlet mall in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The mall opened on October 21, 1999, and is the largest outlet mall in New Jersey, and much closer to New York City than its largest outlet mall competitor, Woodbury Common. Another area of interest is Elizabeth Station. With the exception of NEST routes 101 and 104, NEST routes terminate in these two hubs. However, 104 operates via Elizabeth Station. Staten Island is one of the five boroughs of New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the southwest portion of the city, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and from the rest of New York by New York Bay. With an estimated population of 479,458 in 2017, Staten Island is the least populated of the boroughs but is the third-largest in land area at 58.5 sq mi (152 km2). The borough also contains the southern-most point in the state, South Point. Because Staten Island transit service is limited due to lack of transit options, a study connecting Staten Island routes to New Jersey was started in the 2000's by both NJDOT and NYDOT. As of 2015, most NEST routes terminate at Eltingville Transit Center, with 2 other routes serving St George and Port Richmond respectively. One route operated by the MTA in New York City operates weekdays between Staten Island and Bayonne in New Jersey and connects to the Hudson-Bergen Lightrail at 34th Street station. There is also a proposal to add a new route between St George and Newark Liberty Airport by MTA's own BRT service, Select Bus Service. GO bus NJT began service on the first BRT line, go bus 25, in 2008. During peak periods, the line makes limited stops at eleven points between Newark Penn Station and Irvington, running for most of its length along the busy Springfield Avenue transit corridor. The second BRT line is part of the planned Liberty Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Service network. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the enhanced bus service was initiated in 2009. The $2 million project includes new bus shelters, signaling priority, and express-limited stop service. The go bus 28 is a full-time service between the airport's North Area Transit Center, its three terminals, the city's central business or campus districts, Branch Brook Park, the Roseville neighborhood, and Bloomfield. Connections to Montclair-Boonton Line and Newark Light Rail (NLR) are possible on the line's northern segment. There are proposals to extend the service westward to Montclair University. NABI 40-SFW 416.15 buses 5226-5230, 5308-5321 are suburban buses used for GO28, with 6394-6398 being Transit buses for GO25. NEST bus service NEST bus service was announced in January 2011 and said to explore transit options between New Jersey and Staten Island. Connection options included the Mill at Jersey Gardens and Newark Penn Station. Elizabeth Station was also added to the study by July 2011. By September 2012, NJT announced the new services would be numbered 101-103 and would serve Eltingville Transit Center in Staten Island, as well as Staten Island Mall. 101-103 would terminate at Newark Penn, Jersey Gardens and Elizabeth Station respectively. All service started on July 5, 2013, and a new exclusive fare-zone system began in place with the new routes, with $5 for routes to Elizabeth (102-103) and $6 for routes to Newark (101). In September 2014, an express variant of the 101 called the 104 was added during peak hours. This route costs $7 to ride and runs via Elizabeth Station. In September of the following year another peak service route, 105 was added between St George and Elizabeth. A second Jersey Gardens route operating to Port Richmond Station was also added at this time, named the 106. The two new services cost $6 and $5 respectively. 101 service was added between East Jersey St and Staten Island when 105 service began. Between the aforementioned sections, the fare for 101 service is $5. Beginning in January 2017, special discounts were provided for riders of NEST. A $50 Monday-friday pass for all routes except the 104 was offered, followed by a full weekly pass for $60 by July 2017, again excluding the 104. After opposition for not including the 104 route, a special weekly pass for $70 was offered in September 2017. The two passes were eventually merged into one $65 weekly pass by March 2018. A monthly pass began to be offered January 2019 for $200 on all routes. The NEST monthly pass is able to grant free rides to NJT riders traveling in the Newark and Elizabeth zones, as well as service in between. NEST routes use 2002-03 D4500 MCI Cruisers (8205-8229, 8705-8724) as well as 2008 and 2019 MCI D4500CT MCI Cruisers (3496-3497, 7101-7120)